Dudley Surprised
by KnockturnSeller
Summary: Dudley goes to dinner at Harry's with his son.
1. Chapter 1

Dudley Surprised

Head cannon goes off. Fluttering sign dropping out of the smoke says, "I Don't Own Harry Potter But I Do Play In The Forbidden Forest."

When the door opened Dudley reached to shake his cousin's hand. "Harry. It's been a very long time. Sorry Maddy couldn't make it but she has finals this week and Julia wasn't feeling good. I wanted both of them to meet you but..."

Harry shook and said, "I'm sorry too. I was looking forward to meeting her. And this is your son? I can't tell you how good it is to see you after all this time. You're looking good."

Dudley felt a bit of heat on his face thinking how he'd looked that day in July when the only thing he could think to say was Harry wasn't a waste of space, then smiled. "Yeah.  
>A few years of rugby got me fit and I've tried to keep the weight off since. This is my son Thomas, the handsomest, smartest eight year old boy in England."<p>

Thomas grinned up at Dudley and blushed.

Harry turned to grin at his wife and said, "This is Ginny, the light of my life. She's heard about you so watch your step. She still has the most exquisite Bat Bogey hex I've ever seen."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Dudley," Ginny said, holding out her hand. "And don't worry, I only believed half of what Harry told me about you and the other half probably wasn't true either."

Dudley felt the heat rise again. "Well, that was a long time ago. I'm not proud of some of the things I did, that person I was when I was younger."

Ginny smiled. "It can't be anything compared to what Fred, George and Ron were like.  
>Would you like to freshen up or anything before we sit down and tell lies about Harry?"<br>She had a twinkle in her eye as she said it that made Dudley smile and lose the tension that he'd had about meeting Harry and his family.

Thomas was being introduced to James and Albus when the sounds of a thump then breaking glass came from the pantry, followed quickly by a four year old running out of the kitchen. Harry reached out to take hold of his daughter to stop her head long dash away from the scene of the crime.

Harry held her hand and asked the young girl, "What happened" and got the usual kid response that nuffing had happened. "Well, since nuffing happened and no one else was around and now there's a mess on the kitchen floor, what do you think should happen next?"

A rather meek four year old Lily replied, "Clean it up? It wasn't all my fault. I just wanted a cookie and the jar sort of moved and fell, all by itself. Do I have to clean it up by myself?"

Harry held back his grin with effort. Lily was just always so cute and the sound of her small piping voice melted his heart every time he heard it. "Well, I suppose I could help a little. But, young lady, you have to promise not to try to get things that are on shelves.  
>Things are put there because it s best for you not to get at them. Do we have an understanding here?"<p>

"Yes daddy," Lily said in a soft voice, studying the toes of her red shoes.

The older of the two boys said to Thomas, "You wanna go out and play in the field?"

Thomas turned and asked, "Dad, can I go outside?"

"Be careful and stay in sight," Dudley told him.

Harry looked up and shrugged. "Dudley, there's coffee on the server. Would you mind pouring while I help a lovely damsel in distress?"

Ginny made a sound and said, "What am I? Chopped liver?"

Harry let just a hint of a smile come to his lips and said, "Of course not dear. You're always a gracious and considerate host. We'll be just a few minutes."

Dudley smiled in understanding, turned in time to see his son head out the door with the two boys and moved to the serving counter between the kitchen and living room. "How can I help?" he asked Ginny.

"I'll get the coffee if you'll get the biscuits," she told him and they both held trays as they moved to the sofa. Right off they were trading tales of what kids can get up to and how fast they can get up to it, comparing the size of messes that always seem to appear when kids are involved as if they'd known each other their whole lives.

A few minutes later the sound of sweeping in the kitchen came to a halt, a soft voice was talking then a giggle was heard. The girl trotted out from the kitchen with a cookie in hand to head outside. The sound of laughter came through the open door then it was quiet again.

"Harry, that had better not spoil her dinner," Ginny warned.

Harry shrugged and said, "She did such a good job of helping clean up I thought a reward was well earned. Besides, a few minutes running around outside will burn up the sugar."

Ginny sighed. "Come sit down. Dudley was telling me when Thomas found out how to make mudpies when he was four. He has a picture. He's so darling covered from head to foot in muck with a big grin on his face." They all looked at the picture, clothes and boy unrecognizable in the slippery mud covering, only his huge smile had anything other than brown dirt covering it.

When Harry sat down, Dudley said, "I heard you defeated that Voldemort madman. I learned a lot in the safe house. You know, I found it really didn't matter they were all wizards and witches or that they used magic all the time, they were just nice people I really learned to like. I still trade Christmas cards with a few of the folks I got to know.  
>They told me everything they knew about what was going on outside the safe house and I found I really wanted to know. I was worried about you, Harry."<p>

With a look of shock Harry said, "Worried? About me?"

"Yeah so don't give me grief about it," Dudley said with a chuckle. "When I heard about all the things that were happening I figured out real fast how lucky I was to be hidden away, no matter how dull it seemed sometimes. One day a girl I liked a lot got a message that her mother had been killed by Deatheaters and Emily was suddenly an orphan. She sat down in a chair and didn't move so we all took turns sitting with her so she was never by herself. We didn't have to say anything, you know, just be there so she never felt abandoned. The third day I was siting with her reading a book when she just started talking about growing up and how her mother would play hide and seek with her at night in the small town they lived in. Then she started sobbing and I pulled her onto my lap and just held her as she cried and I was crying right along with her."

Harry never thought he'd see Dudley with tears.

Dudley wiped his eyes and said, "It still hurts, you know. She was all alone in the world and I thought of you and how your parents were killed and how you were on the run and how this Voldemort was hunting you and how you could have been killed and no one would know about it. I kinda grew up a lot after that."

Harry started to say something but the words wouldn't come out for the longest time.  
>"Well, it was a hard year," he finally said. "I was lucky. We got captured once ..."<p>

"What?!" Dudley gasped out.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I made a mistake and we got captured. Hermione hit me with a stinging jinx to disguise me that swelled my face up pretty badly. It was one thing that saved me but later on Hermione was, uh, hurt pretty badly. Bellatrix wanted information we didn't have. None of us got out of there without scars of some kind."

He didn't say anything for a little bit but then went on, "Anyway, one of the guys from school was working for Voldemort, we didn't like each other very much but he did everything he could to not tell them who I was. He was on the other side and did a few pretty awful things himself but he didn't tell them who I was. I had a chance to thank him for that later on, helped him get a shorter sentence in jail after it was all over. You just never really know how things are going to work out sometimes, you know, the good guys and the bad guys. Kinda like with us in a way."

Dudley nodded his head and said, "Lots of weird stuff happens in our lives and you never know who or what's going to surprise you and make you into a better person."

The three of them sipped coffee for a bit with those thoughts running around in their heads.

Dudley cleared his throat and asked, "So what is it you do for a living these days?"

Harry let out a long sigh. "I've been running the Auror's office, sort of the wizard Police force, but I'm working my way out of the job. I want to be home with my family more and have a peaceful life. I've used up all the anger I had for those that hurt my friends. And I put a lot of them in prison. Anyways, no matter what happens at work I come home to a lovely wife and three great kids so I think I'm the luckiest man in the world."

Dudley looked at Harry and nodded in agreement. "Wife, home and kids, the best thing life has to offer." He sat a moment longer then asked, "I guess all your kids, you know,  
>they can do magic?"<p>

Harry turned to Ginny. "You want to tell him how interesting it is to keep up with kids that can pull cookies off the shelf without climbing up to get them?"

Ginny grinned. "Oh, most of the time it's just like anyone else," she said, "but there are times. Like when James decided the Christmas tree was too small, he wanted a much bigger one and got rather hacked off when we told him it was plenty big enough. When we got up the next morning the tree had grown up through the ceiling. That was the first time James manifested his magic so we didn't know whether to be upset with him or to tell him how proud of him we were."

Ginny grinned again and said, "In the end we did both. It can be challenging to have them keep it under control sometimes but it's probably not that much different than anything you have to do, really. It's just a little different but it's still the same. I can't tell you how much respect I have for my mother now, raising seven of us, especially Fred and George. It's a wonder we all lived through it."

Dudley chuckled, looked at Harry and Ginny and laughed. When he got himself under control he said, "We're all mums and dads just like ours were and theirs were and so on for the last hundred thousand years or more. I've always found that a comforting thought, that other parents have gone through lots worse than I've had to and that kids have been trying their parents' patience since the beginning of time."

He sipped at his coffee a moment to gather his thoughts. "I guess the real reason I wanted to visit was to apologize for ..."

Harry raised his hand. "No need. Like you said we're different people now. It's all water under the bridge. Besides, if you got to apologize I'd have to do the same for the pig's tail."

Dudley turned pink then burst out in laughter once again. "The pig's tail, yeah, that was a good one. How's that guy, Haggman or whatever, how's he doing?"

Harry had a grin on his face when he said, "Hagrid's doing fine. Hasn't slowed up a bit but he's too busy with keeping the unicorns, thestrals and a whole host of other creatures happy and well fed to find time to stick tails on where they don't belong."

In a quiet voice Dudley said, "He wasn't all that wrong with mine."

"Like I said, all water under the bridge," Harry said. "What is it you do for a living these days. You said Maddy had finals coming up."

"Yeah. One more year of school," Dudley said in a cheery voice "We'll both be glad when she's out. We met at school. I was tutoring her room mate in chemistry when Maddy came in a little tipsy on a Friday night. We both had to work to get her into bed and the next thing I know I'm asking her out for a date. We got married when I graduated. When Thomas was born he had problems and spent a month in hospital and that's when Maddy decided she wanted to be a doctor. It's been a long haul, what with two kids and all, but she's almost there."

"A doctor. That rocks, Dudley," Ginny said. "What did you end up doing?"

"Oh yeah. I troubleshoot problems with plastics and petro-chemical manufacturing,"  
>Dudley said. "I was going for a position with BP when I got a summer job at a big production plant, mostly quality assurance and chemical analysis, when my boss was handed a problem with one of the production lines. Turns out I have a real talent in troubleshooting. I figured out that one of the reagents was being mixed in at eight percent too low a concentration and twenty degrees too hot and too early in the process. Made a huge mess when it solidified before it hit the pelletizer section. With a chemistry background and a bit of study in industrial engineering I found I had a job that really challenged me. Pays good and I'm home most every night to be with Maddy,<br>Thomas and Julia."

He turned to Ginny and asked. "Do you work?"

"I did," she said with a grin. "Professional Quidditch player for four years after school,  
>but I wanted a family more so we got started on one. With a good man and three energetic kids I manage to keep myself plenty busy."<p>

An old grandfather clock chimed and Ginny looked at it. "Oh goodness, we've been chatting for an hour already. I better get the salad started and the roast out of the oven.  
>Harry, would you check to see if the boys have destroyed anything important?"<p>

Dudley raised his hand. "I'll check on the kids if you need Harry in the kitchen."

"That would be a great help, Dudley," Ginny said. "Harry, would you mash the potatoes?"

Dudley drank the last of his coffee and got up saying, "Harry, it's been great to see you again. I'd like to invite you and the kids over when you get a chance. I've got a sailboat that's practically magic to me. I can take you all out for a spin or overnight and show you some really beautiful anchorages I think you might like."

"Sounds interesting," Harry said. "Yeah, that sounds wonderful. I'd better get to helping Ginny or I might end up with something growing out of somewhere I don't want."

Dudley chuckled a little, still thinking of his hexing so long ago, now it was just an amusing memory, wandered over to the door and opened it up. He stood there looking at the kids playing, happy as any kids could be, the boys chasing after his laughing son,  
>Thomas with a huge grin on his face as the boys struggled in pursuit to get close enough to catch him. He could only stand there and watch.<p>

He couldn't move, he couldn't get a word out, his legs wouldn't budge, he could hardly breathe. Thomas was evading every move they made, giving the boys a real challenge trying to keep up with him. Eyes wide and mouth hanging open, he just stood there..

"Dudley," Harry called from the kitchen. "What kind of dressing do you like?"

He got no answer.

"Dudley," he called again. "What kind of dressing do you want on your salad?" Again he got no answer and turned, walked to the living room to see his cousin standing in the door staring out across the field.

"Dudley? Everything okay?" he asked as he walked closer. "Anything wrong?"

No answer. He got closer and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Dudley. You alright?"

No answer so he gently pushed his cousin out onto the porch so he could see. What he saw brought a smile to his face then a frown. Lily was on her small broom with her red shoes just touching the grass, wheeling around in circles to watch Albus and James doing everything they could to catch Thomas.

Thomas kept an arm's length away from either of them as he rode his broom just above the field grass, his shirt tails flying in the wind and a huge grin on his face. He watched as they made another round of the field and Thomas headed toward the porch, stopping in front of his father, laughing and giggling in merriment.

"They said I'd never keep up with them but I did," he said. "Did you see me? I kept away from both of them."

Harry looked to see Dudley standing there with his mouth hanging open, his eyes staring at the sight in front of him. He turned to the kids to say, "How about you make a one more round before coming in to wash up for dinner. James, you know how far you can go so I better not see you going out of bounds."

"Okay dad," the boy said turning his broom. "We race over to the fence, down to the apple trees, along the creek and back to the porch. Whoever wins gets to make the next race course. Ready?"

Three brooms whistled as they sped off. Lily whimpered on her broom and said, "They always go faster than me, daddy. I never get to win."

Harry walked over to pat his daughter on the head. "Why don't you fly right down to the creek from here and beat them there, then you can race them back to the porch."

Lily squealed in delight, "Yeah. I'll beat em this time," and took off as fast as her little broom could go.

Harry gently moved Dudley to the porch swing and sat down next to his stunned cousin.

"You know, Big D," Harry said, "it might be a good idea if you stop by more often.  
>Seems we have a lot more in common than we thought."<p>

END A/N: I got this idea fleshed out then did some more reading, coming across a tale that night with some similarities. This is my take on Dudley. No story trodding intended. KS

Head cannon goes off again. "Please Review" is on the sign fluttering to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

Dudley Surprised 2

Head cannon goes off. Fluttering sign dropping out of the smoke says, "I Don't Own Harry Potter But I Do Play In The Forbidden Forest."

"Dudley, I love you dearly," his wife, Maddy said, "but what the devil is the grate doing out of the fireplace and on the hearth? Don't tell me you're going to light a fire on it,  
>you'll burn the house down. Are you nuts? Just what has gotten into your head?" The look she was giving didn't look good for her husband's future or longevity.<p>

He looked back and asked, "Did you get Julia in bed?"

"Don't change the subject if you know what's go for you, mister," Maddy retorted.

Dudley had a calm about him that belied the craziness of the grate sitting on the hearth.  
>"This is going to take a little while to explain and that's part of it," Dudley told his wife,<br>nodding to the grate. "Right now it's likely the craziest thing you've ever seen me do but this will redefine crazy for you. With a bit of patience and understanding I think you'll see the necessity."

Maddy gave Dudley that look between husbands and wives that said he'd better make very good on the promise of it making sense. "Alright, a bit of patience," she said and crossed her arms tightly over her chest that said when the patience ran out, he'd better hide.

"I told you a little about Harry, my cousin," Dudley said.

Maddy gave a tight sigh and said, "Yes, you wanted us to go to dinner so you could make up for being a git when you were younger."

"That's very true," Dudley said. "I don't think I told you about him saving my life."

"What, a burning house, car wreck, being attacked by lions?" Maddy said, dripping sarcasm. Her tone was frosty enough to freeze the Channel.

"Oh no, nothing like that at all," he said. "I was a terrible bully and a lot of other things to him but something happened one night that got me to thinking about myself and other stuff. It was raining and we were running back from the park, soaking wet, we got in an argument and I hit him when it suddenly got icy cold. Not like a wind came up or anything like that but freezing inside and out, like I was never going to feel warm again.  
>I never saw what happened, I never even saw the Dementors that attacked us."<p>

"You were mugged by a gang?" Maddy asked, worry creeping into in her voice.

Dudley took a deep breath and said, "They weren't a gang. They are things that suck all the good things out of a person and feed on the despair, at least that was what I was told while at the safe house. They aren't human, they're magic ... I don't know, beings,  
>creatures, whatever. The important thing is when they strip away all the happiness from a person you're left with seeing all the worst in your life. You can't stop looking, you can't make them go away and all you feel is the worst things in your life.<p>

"That night I saw misery. I saw it in myself and knew it was myself, knew how miserable I was inside," Dudley said. "I was told that Harry attacked the one that was on him and sent it away then sent his Patronus at the one that was attacking me, that's what Mrs.  
>Figg said. If he hadn't done that I would have ended up a walking vegetable. I would have lost my soul to that thing. He got in some serious trouble about it with his people for using magic around me, but he did it to save me even after I was rotten to him."<p>

He knew what kind of look he was going to get and wasn't surprised in the least when he saw it directed at him. It was something he hoped never again to see anytime in any future.

But then it faded and she seemed a little concerned when she said, "Dudley, you told me you were a bit of a hooligan in those days. Some of the designer drugs on the streets then ..."

"It wasn't drugs," Dudley said firmly. "I can understand how crazy this sounds, it sounds a little crazy to me and I lived through it, but I'm going to ask for a bit more patience."

With pursed lips, Maddy looked at her husband and gave a small nod.

"Okay," he said. "Harry is my cousin, you already know that. What you don't know is his side of the family is, how can I say this? His part of the family has an ability you and I don't have. What he has comes from my aunt that died when he was a baby and now it seems it's been passed on. I'm telling you this to give context to what comes next."

Dudley turned and called out, "Thomas, come into the living room please."

A worried looking eight year old walked into to the living room like he was barefoot and the floor was covered with mousetraps.

Dudley reached out to hug him into his side. "We were talking about Uncle Harry and his family and the dinner we had. Was that some good food or what, champ?"

"Yeah, dad, it was really good." the boy said still looking worried but relaxing a little.

"Tell your mother about playing in the field," he told him. "It sure looked like you were having fun. Go ahead, it's okay to talk about it."

Maddy shot a frown at her son then quickly softened it. "Did you get in trouble,  
>Thomas?"<p>

"Oh no, mum. I was good, wasn't I dad?"

"You were great," Dudley said. He looked at Thomas and nodded, flicking his eyes toward his wife.

"Uh, well, James and Albus wanted to play so we went outside," Thomas said. "We went into the shed and I saw a bunch of brooms and asked about them. They looked kinda weird then James asked if I wanted to go flying and gave me one. He said to hold on and just jump so I did and I was in the air. It was sorta scary at first because I kept tipping but then I figured it out and we went out and started chasing each other around.  
>Flying on that broom was the most fun I ever had." He was grinning widely.<p>

Dudley gave him a hug and said, "Okay, you can go play if you want to."

Thomas looked up at his dad then toward his mother and asked, "Are you gonna be discussing?"

Gently tousling Thomas' hair, Dudley said, "Yes we are. Go ahead and go play."

"Are you gonna be discussing me and flying the broom?" he asked.

"That's one thing," Dudley said.

"Uh, can I stay and listen?" Thomas asked. "I'll be real quiet but since it's about me I want to hear. Please?"

Dudley looked at his son in a new light. "This will be grown up talking so you have to be grown up to stay. Promise not to interrupt no matter what and you can listen."

Maddy shot a look at her husband that said he'd better make this one real good or he was going to be in more to trouble than he could ever want to handle. Standing next to the chair she looked furious at Dudley's calmness after telling such a tall tale and to think he brought their son in on it was just too much.

"Flying brooms. What's going to be next? Dragons?" she asked in a stern tone.

"No, they're in Romania. Maddy, you remember those Christmas cards I send out to people you've never met?" he asked and got a nod. "When I was seventeen my family had to go into hiding. There was a bunch of people that wanted my cousin Harry pretty bad so he arranged to put us under protection so we weren't kidnaped and interrogated about where he had gone."

"Dudley, interrogate? I mean really," Maddy said quietly, frowning again.

Dudley took another breath and said, "You're right. What I meant to say was we would have been tortured to death to get any information we had." He stood on one spot as calm as he could make himself.

"I'm telling you this to make a point," Dudley said. "The person that wanted Harry dead was called Valdemort, the darkest wizard ever seen. Harry defeated him. There was some sort of war and a lot of people died in the struggle but he won in the end. Again, I only heard most of it while I was at the safe house."

Dudley took a calming breath and said, "Harry's a wizard, a real wizard, he's my cousin and now Thomas appears to have inherited the family's secret. Our son in a wizard.  
>That why he was riding the broom at Harry's place."<p>

Maddy stood stock still, not saying a word. She glanced at Thomas sitting on the couch with a big grin on his face and turned back to her husband. "You have got to be joking.  
>That is the biggest, most outlandish thing I've ever heard and for you that's saying something."<p>

"Yes," Dudley agreed, "that's saying something. I said it would redefine crazy but it's the truth. While I was in hiding I was living with a dozen other people, all of them witches and wizards. I got to like and respect them for who they were and that's where I learned a lot about Harry and the Dementors and a lot of other things. I never talked about them because I couldn't., there's a Secrecy Statute and I promised. It seems it's best if the Magical and Muggle worlds are kept apart, at least that's how I understand it. Our history has witchcraft trials though it's silly, really, to think a witch wouldn't be able to just disappear rather than allow themselves to be condemned, if you think about it.

"But back to the important point," he said. "Thomas is a wizard and we'll have to accept that fact. I love him dearly and want the best for him so now we have to adjust to his new status."

Maddy just stared at Dudley for a long time.

"Mom," Thomas said.

Dudley turned to his son and said, "I thought you were not going to interrupt."

"I know but I wanted to say I kinda like being a wizard and if I'm going to be one, I want to be the best wizard ever," the boy said.

"Sweetheart, I'm trying to understand what is going on here," Maddy said, "but one thing's for sure, there's no such thing as a wizard."

"Yes there is," Thomas said with earnest. "I'm one and so is James and Albus and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. Even Lily, she's only four so she can only ride a little kid's broom but she never fell off and Uncle Harry has a wand and can make things float. He floated me around the living room and it was super cool."

Maddy smiled at her son. "I'm sure you had a good time, son, but ..." and she couldn't think of a word to say about what she'd just heard.

Dudley reached for his cell and flipped it open. "I asked Harry if he would mind coming over to help explain everything. I'd like to call him, if you wouldn't mind a late visitor."

Maddy chuffed a breath through her nose but didn't refuse him so Dudley tapped the keys. "Hi Harry. Say, would you come over and help me explain all this to Maddy. Yes, I moved the grate out. Okay, I'll make sure."

He closed the phone and reached out to touch his wife on the arm. "It would be a good idea if you could move away from the hearth. Harry's coming over to talk with us." Once more he got a look like he was a patient in an asylum.

A puff of green fire appeared on the grate and a face formed within the cold flames.  
>"All clear?"<p>

"All clear, Harry," Dudley said.

Thomas giggled and said, "You're gonna love this, mom."

The green flames flared up and a man appeared within them, stepping out into their living room with a half grin on his face. Dust made a small cloud around him and he reached into his sports jacket, took out a piece of wood, waved it over himself and the dust snapped to the stick. When he pointed it toward the fireplace proper and muttered,  
>the dust jetted in a stream and landed inside the fireplace to settle in.<p>

He turned and held out his hand. "I'm Dudley's cousin, Harry. I'm so happy to meet you at last, Maddy. Your husband spoke most highly of you at dinner."

Maddy was standing there with her mouth hanging open, not moving a muscle.

Harry turned to Dudley. "You sure this was the best way to introduce myself?"

"Trust me, Harry," Dudley said. "Would you like some tea?"

With a smile he nodded. "Yes please. That sounds pretty good right now."

Dudley moved to gently encourage Maddy onto the couch, tousled Thomas' hair, got a giggle then turned toward the kitchen.  
>"Say Dudley, I could get the tea," Harry offered, raising his wand.<p>

"That's okay, Harry," Dudley said. "I'll get it. You two get acquainted."

Harry found a chair and sat down. "I'm very glad to meet you, Maddy. Sorry you couldn't come to dinner. Dudley invited us to go sailing with him when we can make arrangements. I've never been sailing so I'm really looking forward to it. Do you get out on your boat very often?"

A moment of silence followed, Harry looking at Maddy to see if she was going to say anything with the change to a safe subject, saw the stunned look still there and turned to Thomas. "How about you? Do you go sailing?"

"Oh yeah, Uncle Harry," the boy said. "It's awesome. It's as much fun as riding a broom and you get to bring everything with you and stay overnight and see lots of other people and everything. Julia gets seasick when it gets rough, I do too sometimes, but it's so much fun I wish I could do it every day. Did you know there's people that live on their boats and sail around the world and all kinds of stuff? I got to talk to some kids who did that and they said it pretty cool but it gets stormy sometimes and it's kinda scary then."

"Do you like meeting other people that do adventurous things like that?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Everyone's real nice and all the boats are cool," he said. "I like seeing other people's boats. They sorta have the same stuff but everyone does things different,  
>that's what dad says."<p>

Harry smiled. "Yes. Everyone's the same in a lot of ways but they're different too. It'd be pretty boring if everything was always the same, huh?"

"Yeah," Thomas agreed.

Harry turned back to Maddy to say, "I guess it can be a bit disconcerting learning your child has a talent you didn't expect, especially when it concerns magical ability as it's not something people expect to hear. I didn't find out until I was eleven and it was a surprise to me, let me tell you. Most of my friends were brought up in the wizarding world but a lot were brought up in non magical families like I was. Usually they don't find out until they turn eleven and get their Hogwarts letter, then we send someone along to explain it all. I guess that's part of why I'm here."

He looked for a reaction but she just stared at him, blinking.

"With Thomas I have to say I was more than a little surprised," Harry said. "Dudley's been quite accepting of the idea, much more than I thought he would be, but then he did spend a lot of time around magical folks when he was in hiding. I think it really changed his outlook. Like he said, you don't know what's going to change you into a better person."

"He never told me about the safe house and having to hide," Maddy said. "He never shared that part of his life with me."

Hearing her voice was a good thing so Harry told her, "One thing we do is to keep our two societies apart. We're both better off in most ways though we do lose a bit around the edges. Dudley was just doing what he promised to do, to keep the secret. Perhaps you could forgive him for that but I'm sure he feels bad about not being able to share that part of his life with you. From what he told me it had a profound effect on him."  
>Maddy turned to look at Harry. "So, was it true what he said? That he had to go into hiding to keep from being ... tortured for information?"<p>

"Yeah, sadly, that's pretty much the truth," Harry said. "On the other hand he told us,  
>Ginny and me, how the experience changed him. I think that was the part that impressed me the most. He had rather intense emotions about his experience so it must be a very strong memory for him. I'm sorry he couldn't share that with you but he gave his word."<p>

Maddy was quiet a few moments then said, "He is an honorable man."

Thinking of his own life and family, Harry said, "It must have been quite a burden for him holding it back from you."

Dudley rattled the tray he was carrying, came in and set it on the coffee table, set a glass of chocolate milk in front of Thomas and proceeded to pour the tea.

"So, you two got acquainted?" he asked.

Maddy sort of smiled at Harry and said to Dudley, "Quite. You did a masterful job of taking your time, sweetheart."

Dudley flushed slightly as he finished pouring the tea. "Well, I thought it best to give you a few minutes."

"Yes, it worked out well," she said. "Now, about your keeping secrets."

"Like Harry said, I gave my word," Dudley said. "I never thought it would come up so I just put it out of my mind. I didn't think about it until Harry ..."

Maddy put her hand on his. "I understand, dear. Was it the burden he suggested it was?"

Dudley sat down with his tea. "It was hard, yes, but I did promise. That year changed me more than you can imagine. There were times I wanted to talk about it but, well, I couldn't."

Harry set his cup down and said, "The outcome of all this is your son is a wizard, he can do magic but he must be taught to control it. It won't be something you can share with your friends and it's not something he can do in front of his playmates. When he's eleven he'll be invited to go to Hogwarts, the wizarding school for the UK where he'll experience more magic than he can imagine. Until then Ginny and I can help you with teaching him control and other things you need to know.

"If I might ask," Harry said, "how's all this going for you right now. It's a lot to take in all at once, especially since you've never been exposed to it before."

Maddy shifted her gaze between Harry and her husband, then smiled at Thomas.  
>"You're serious about all this then? This isn't a joke or something you two got up with."<p>

Harry slipped his wand back out, pointed it at the tray and lifted the tea pot up, brought over to her and asked, "Heat up?"

She stared at the pot hanging in midair in front of her, nodded and he poured, sending it back to the tray.

Thomas giggled and said, "That was so cool. I can't wait until I can do that."

Harry turned to him and said, "You'll have to go to Hogwarts and study hard to learn how, but yes, when you're older you'll be able to do it."

Thomas made a sound then said, "Yeah, I always have to be older to do stuff."

Harry chuckled and turned to Maddy. "But back to where we were. We are quite serious about everything we've shared tonight. Sorry to have to spring this all on you out of the blue, but since Thomas has already manifested his magic it's time you were brought into the picture. There's always help available, Hermione especially as she's Muggleborn and can show you some of the things you might need to know to help raise Thomas to be the best he can be while keeping the magic part private."

He took a sip of his tea and said, "Any burning questions you have at the moment?"

"Uh yes, Julia," Maddy said. "Will she be a magician? A witch I guess I should say."

Harry tried to keep the grin off his face at her acceptance of the new world she found herself in. "Hard to say but we can tell you what to look for. Kids all grow up in their own time so if she is a witch, she'll manifest in her own time. Until then I'd like to introduce you to our world so you have a better understanding of what to expect."

Once more he gazed at his cousin's wife and went on, "I understand you have finals coming up for school. Let's put this on the back burner until afterwards, then we'll get together for a weekend or whatever you'd be comfortable with and we can talk about it.  
>Ginny would love to meet you and Lily is looking forward to meeting your Julia. Always looking for another friend to play with she is.<p>

"In the meantime you'll have a chance to digest all of this so it'll make better sense," he said. "Besides, I've never been sailing before and we can tell you the whole story and not have to worry about neighbors or anything like that."

Maddy sat back in her chair with her fingers steepled in front of her chin for a whole minute without saying a word. "So, you're a wizard, it's hard to believe that but I guess I can't deny it after how you got here. Then Thomas flies on brooms so he's a wizard that will need to control himself and Dudley was attacked by Dementor creatures and you saved his life. Then he had to go in hiding so he wouldn't be interrogated and he lived with witches and wizards and never said a word about them. That's a lot to take in,  
>coming out of the blue, as you say."<p>

"Yes it is," Harry said. "I want to say how impressed I am with your ability to grasp it all so rapidly. I've talked to other couples about the magical world and it took a lot just to get them to accept the basic concept. It's too much to ask you to change what you've believed your whole life in one night but do believe that Thomas is a wonderful young lad that is going to grow up into an even more wonderful wizard. If he takes after his father I'm sure he's going to be a very good man too."

Dudley looked between his son, wife and cousin. "I think a weekend sail would be a great way to get together and talk it all out."

END

A/N: Maybe another chapter or two.

Head cannon goes off again. "Please Review" is on the sign fluttering to the ground. 


	3. Chapter 3

Dudley Surprised Chapter 3

Harry, Ginny and the kids trooped down the dock looking for Dudley's boat. The kids pointed and commented on all the boats around them as Harry looked for one particular boat, checked the dock number once again and kept walking. There, right where he was supposed to be, was Dudley, standing on his boa, waving and grinning.

"Welcome to the Pelican," Dudley said cheerfully. "You found us with no trouble?  
>Didn't need ... extra help?"<p>

Harry grinned at the joke. "No trouble at all, Just followed the numbers and got here just fine. So, this is your brand of magic?"

Dudley grinned again. "That she is. Thirty six feet of sailing craft, comes complete with crew, food and water. Anything else you make do or do without. I've got enough life jackets for the kids. I presume you know how to swim?"

Ginny made a face but Harry smiled. "Easy as falling off a dragon into a lake," he said.  
>"Maddy will be up in a few so why don't I show you around?" Dudley said. "First,<br>there's fire extinguishers under the lazarette here," and he pointed, "in the engine spaces, near the stove and in the main salon. Hopefully we won't ever use them but you never know."

Pointing around the cockpit he said, "Mainsheet, throwing ring, compass, chart plotter, horn. And near the extinguisher are hand flares and aerial flares. Again, hope we never need them but safety regs have all been written in blood, don't you know."

"Sounds like you're prepared for anything," Harry said.

"Pretty much," he answered and turned to the main cabin, "Ready for our new crew, Maddy?"

Maddy called back, "Anytime. Send em on down."

After a quick tour he had Harry check the engine control and handed the key to Ginny. "Put the key in, turn it one click right then push that button for five seconds," he told her "Then turn the key all the way to the right until the engine starts."

The kids clambered around the cabin meeting up with Thomas and Julia, and when the engine turned over Thomas led them back out on deck. "I undo the mooring lines. Wanna help?" and had two volunteers jumping off the boat to the dock.

They pulled away and Dudley headed toward the harbor entrance. "Harry, take the wheel. Just steer us toward the opening in the breakwater and we'll head on out."

With his hands trembling a little on the cool steel of the wheel, Harry steered where directed. "You sure about this? I've never really steered a boat, not like this."

Dudley grinned sand said, "No problem. Thomas does it all the time. I'll keep watch and tell you what to do."

The kids chattered excitedly as they passed the docks with all the other boats then went through the harbor entrance and turned out toward the bay, Harry gripping the wheel like his life depended on it. The wind pushed the bow away form where he was steering, he looked at Dudley who gave him a nod, turned the wheel a little and they were on course again.

Dudley pointed out a green colored buoy out in the bay and said, "Steer toward that buoy. Keep it on the starboard side, that's right side to you landlubbers," and grinned again. "I sort of forgot to tell you I don't have guests aboard, I have visiting crew so I'll show you what you need to do and we'll all make a grand day of it. I won't let you make any serious mistakes and when we do, we'll have a good laugh."

Dudley looked on as Harry steered, grinning to himself at the obvious tension in his hands and shoulders. "Thomas, how about you bring your cousins up forward and we'll raise the jib. Then trade off and we'll raise the main."

Thomas brought a nervous looking James with him to the bow, following his dad holding the jib's sail bag and began pulling it out. He told his cousin, "This part clips on the halyard then we that part will hook at the bottom of the forestay then we'll clip the rest on." Under his father's watchful eye he and his cousin got the jib sail fastened, they both turned and got a thumbs up for their effort.

"Good job, Thomas," Dudley said. "Take James back and bring your other cousin up to the mast and we'll get ready to hoist."

A minute later Albus was standing next to the mast looking up and saying,  
>"That's really tall. Do we have to climb up there?"<p>

Thomas laughed. "Oh no. We pull the sails up with the halyards. Dad will tell us when then we pull the green one and the jib goes up. The black one hoists the main. It's pretty cool watching them go up then when we haul them in, we'll be sailing. It's as cool as riding a broom. You'll love it."

Albus made a face and shook his head. "I don't know. How do these sail things work."

"Dad tried to explain it to me," Thomas said, "but I guess the wind sorta pushes us. Dad can go on forever trying to explain it but it doesn't make much sense to me. He said to be patient and one day it will so I just don't worry about it."

"Hey Dudley," came from the cockpit. "Am I steering us alright?"

Dudley yelled back, "Steady as she goes," and chuckled once again at his cousin's newness to sailing. He thought about when they were really sailing and how that would certainly open his eyes and chuckled again.

He went back to the cockpit with a sheet in hand, ran it through a block, around the winch and through the cleat, putting a stopper in the end, went back and did the same for the other side and turned to Harry at the wheel.

"Okay, here's what I want you to do," he said. "We'll turn toward the wind and we'll haul the jib up then we'll haul the main and come back. Your job will be to keep us on a straight course until I get back then we'll go sailing."

Twenty minutes later Harry was gripping the wheel tightly as the boat heeled in the wind, Ginny and the kids sitting down with eyes wide as the boat rode over the water with her sails full. James and Thomas were laughing, Albus looking like a fish trying to breathe out of water, the two young girls sitting close together and hanging onto the sides of the cockpit.

Dudley clapped Harry on the shoulder and said, "I told you this is my kind of magic. What do you think?"

Harry kept his eyes forward and called back, "This is amazing. I see why Thomas said he liked it, it is nearly as much fun as riding a broom." He had a grin on and his hair was flopping in the wind, his hands still tight on the wheel.

Dudley turned to Ginny and said, "You want to take the wheel for a bit? It's easy,  
>you just keep us pointed into the wind just as we are now."<p>

"It's safe?" she asked, glancing at little Lily holding onto Julia.

"I won't let you do anything wrong," Dudley said. "It's the best thing in the world.  
>Go on, try it. Even Thomas steers the boat a lot. Go ahead."<p>

Ginny gingerly eased off the seat and got beside Harry. "Is it hard?"

Harry turned to grin at his wife. "You have to try this. It's great."

Ginny took hold of the wheel, Harry keeping one hand on for security, and Ginny was steering looking frightened but also determined to do this thing. Harry took his hand from the wheel and she knew she had the boat in her hands, eyes locked forward as she gently turned one way then the other to adjust their course, heading where Dudley told them to go.

She turned to Dudley and said, "This really is amazing. I can see why you say it's your kind of magic. It's like were flying on the water."

Dudley laughed with joy seeing two people getting into sailing for the first time.  
>"Just keep us going in this direction. Watch the jib. If it starts to luff, the sail starts wiggling in front, turn away from the wind a little. And congratulations on joining the world's oldest legal profession."<p>

Ginny held the wheel and asked, "How do you change direction in the wind?"

"Tell you what," Dudley said, "turn away from the wind about twenty degrees and I'll adjust the sails for you. If you watch what's happening it'll all make more sense than if I try to explain it."

Ginny turned and the boat heeled hard, Dudley loosed the job sheet and adjusted it, then did the main and the boat leveled out for the most part but now they were sailing in a new direction. Ginny just grinned as her red hair flew back from her head and the wind blew in her face.

James stood and moved next to his mother. "Can I try it?"

She looked back to Dudley and got a nod, let James stand in front of her and take the wheel. Like Harry, she kept one hand touching just in case, though she wasn't sure she knew what to do, only that she wanted her son to experience the feeling she'd just had.

Dudley turned to Harry, saw his grin and said, "Watch things for me. I'm going to get the coffee."

As Dudley got up Harry yelped, "What?! You can't leave."

"Be just a mo," Dudley said and slipped into the cabin. Maddy was there finishing up making sandwiches. "Hi sweetheart. Need any help?"

Maddy turned to say, "Your timing is perfect as usual, you beast, making me slave away in the galley while you have fun. Just like a man."

Dudley put his arm around her waist and gave her a kiss. "Love you," he said.

Maddy brought the thermos of coffee up along with juices for the kids, Dudley following with the mugs. Both of them looked over the boat, the sails, the wheel and the kids almost automatically then handed out mugs, poured the coffee and stood next to Ginny and James at the wheel.

"How's it going?" he asked.

Ginny was grinning from ear to ear. "This really is a most amazing thing to do. It's like were moving without effort and I don't have to use my wand to make it happen. This is fantastic."

"Glad you like it," Dudley said. He handed a mug to her and said, "The winds are pretty mild right now. You should see it when it really blows and rains so hard you can hardly see, then it gets very interesting. Captures one's attention, you might say."

He got close to James and pointed. "See that hill over there? Just keep us pointed at it. That's where we'll eat lunch."

James grinned up at the man then went back to steering as if it was the most important thing he'd ever done. Ginny ran her hand through his always untidy hair being blown by the breeze, smiled at him and went back to watching what was happening on the boat.

Albus got his turn at the wheel as Harry, Maddy and Dudley chatted about the one thing they had in common: raising kids and cleaning up their messes. The two young girls were playing a complicated form of patty cake, all of them enjoying being out on a sunny day with friends.

Lunch was brought out when they anchored in a small cove with the hill rising up above them, no other boat close and not a soul in sight. Gulls and terns were picking along the beach, a few ducks paddling along then popping underwater to reappear some distance away. The girls were watching when one came up with a small fish in its mouth and they clamored to get the adults' attention as it tossed its head in the air and the fish slid down its throat.

"We saw it eat a fish," Julia said loudly.

"You sure did," Dudley told the two excited girls.

Harry was grinning when he said, "I can see why you like doing this. This sailing,  
>it's amazing."<p>

"So," Dudley said, "you were talking about how to control magic in kids. Can you tell us more about how we actually do that?"

Harry looked to his two boys and said, "Can you tell your uncle Dudley how you keep magic a private thing?"

James started out by saying, "We can't fly brooms anywhere around Muggles and we can't make things happen that our friends wouldn't understand."

"Tell us about when you and Albus got mad at each other," Harry said.

James fidgeted then said, "Well, Albus was bugging me and I got tired of it and next thing I know he's stuck on the ceiling and I couldn't get him back down. I got mom and she got him down and both of us got time outs and we couldn't ride our brooms for a week."

"It wasn't my fault," Albus said.

James frowned at his brother and said, "Yes it was."

Harry put his hand on James' shoulder. "We're talking about how to control your magic when you're upset. Both of you contributed to the problem so both of you just cool it. Okay? I want you to listen and help Thomas understand."

Dudley looked at Harry. "That's it? You can't stop them from doing magic?"

Ginny chuckled and said, "It's not something you can turn on and off and you know kids, they don't know when to stop. When something like that happens we have to step in and fix it then deal with the misbehavior that caused it and the loss of emotional control that allowed it to happen. That's the hard part, as kids, they don't always understand patience and keeping their heads straight."

They all sat silently for a moment and Maddy asked, "So what do we do if things get out of control? You say James put Albus on the ceiling, what will happen if Thomas hurts someone, even if he didn't know he was going to hurt them?"

Ginny shrugged. "It all comes down to letting them know their limits," she said. "If they do hurt someone there are ways to get help. You can call us anytime of course, or my brother and Hermione would certainly assist if called. Lastly, there's the Ministry itself. There's a Accidental Magic Reversal Squad that send someone to reverse whatever happened and, if necessary, alter memories so there isn't a problem with keeping it, well, secret."

"I'm not sure I'd want to call in someone I don't know," Maddy said.

Ginny reached over to put her hand on Maddy's arm. "I can understand that. I'll give you our numbers and Ron's and Hermione's. Feel free to call any of us anytime.  
>Even if you just want to talk, please give us a call. Lastly, if there's none of us available when you need help, I'll give you a means of contacting the Ministry. Would you feel comfortable with that?"<p>

Dudley and Maddy traded looks. "I suppose that's what we'll have to do," Maddy said. "For the first time in my life, right at this moment I wish I could do magic so I could deal with things on my own." She sighed. "But I don't so I'll just do the best I can."

Harry nodded and said, "That's all any of us do."

Ginny patted Maddy's arm. "Don't worry too much about it. Just remember there's always someone that can help."

Maddy turned to ask, "And my parents? Babysitters? How's that going to work? I guess I'm a bit worried that they might, uh, be involved and make a lot of problems,  
>likely more for themselves than for us but that does worry me. And there's Julia. I told you she loves her big brother fiercely. I'm sure it's going to be a problem sooner or later."<p>

"She's only four, right?" asked Ginny. "Four year olds live in a fantasy world for the most part so that's not a problem. But if she insists, then her friends won't believe her and she'll lose friends. That's pretty tough for a little girl so it might be best if she decides it's a family thing and not to be talked about."

Harry caught their eyes and said, "If things get out of control there's always a memory charm, but it's not something I'd prefer to see. It's much easier for all if it just stays private."

Maddy pursed her lips. "That's too much for a four year old to take in. I just worry it'll cause a problem for her. Still, with my parents, if they stayed over with them and something happened, what would we do? Dudley told me about his so I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. But I do worry about mine."

Something wasn't quite right, Harry could feel it in his bones. "Are you worried he might harm someone?"

Maddy hung her head and muttered, "Yes I am." and looked up. "He's my son. How can I live with myself if he hurts someone?"

"He is your son," Harry said, "and that is why he won't. Children growing in a loving family show that in their lives and in what they do. Even children that grow up in bad situations turn out fairly well, at least I did. It's natural for parents to worry how their children will grow up to fit in their society. You raise him the best you can, that's all any of us can do.

"As far as magic is concerned, it's just a skill, an ability, a gift if you will," Harry said. "Thomas is a fine lad, full of life and joy and he's gotten that from Dudley and you.  
>I can offer help in how to understand his new ability and how to raise children with magic. I don't have all the answers, all I can tell you is when he goes to Hogwarts, he'll be taught how to use and control his gifts."<p>

Maddy sat still as everyone ate their sandwiches, Dudley moved close to put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure Harry's right about Thomas. And yes, I'm sure there's going to be problems to solve and situations to handle, but when I look at his kids I know it's all going to work out. In a way I'm a bit envious that he'll be able to use magic in his life. We just need to provide for him the best we can, watch over him as he grows up and give him every opportunity we can provide. That will never change."

He looked at Maddy's expression for a moment and asked, "Are you afraid of him? Are you afraid of magic? I was because that's how I was raised, but I lived around magic for that year and I'm not afraid of it or of what Thomas is to become. Talk to me,  
>Maddy. Are you afraid?"<p>

Maddy looked up with haunted eyes. "Until you asked me I wasn't, but now that it's right there in front of me, I guess I am afraid. I don't have fears for Thomas or Julia in that way, but deep down I can feel a fear, like it's old and ingrained. That must be what has been bothering me but I couldn't put it into words."

She turned to press her face against Dudley's shoulder. "It's silly, now that I see it in front of me but I can't help the feeling. We'll just have to work it out like we've worked everything else out."

She huddled against Dudley for a bit more then said, "My whole life I've never imagined magic. My parents are quite conservative in their views so I hardly got to read fairy tales much less be exposed to magic stories. And now I have a wizard son."

She turned to Harry and Ginny. "What's it like, really, to do things with it? Is it difficult? Is it an easy way to get what you want without working for it? What's it really like to live with magic at your beck and call?"

Harry chuckled a little and said, "There are all kinds of restrictions on using it.  
>There's whole chapters in the textbooks we were taught from that detail what can and cannot be done. I mean, if everyone could just make gold to fill their pockets what good would gold be any more? And working hard for what you want and getting what you earn, where would all our basic values be if it all was handed to us by way of a wand?<p>

"Like everything else in life, having magic in you is just something you can use to get along," Harry said. "If you're in Rome, as the saying goes, do as the Romans. In this case it's more do what everyone else is doing because that's what's expected. Does that make sense?"

"Of course that makes sense." Maddy said. "It's just that my parents were very conservative, that is if Attila the Hun would be considered a raging liberal. Everything had to be in its place, no coloring outside the lines, theirs was a perfectly ordered world surrounded by chaos that only rigid thinking could keep at bay. I rebelled as I got older as all children do, but my rebellion was in the way I thought. Going into nursing was approved but becoming a doctor, that caused a lot of questions. I love them dearly but I'm a different person than they are.

"But deep down I think I was taught magic was evil, a tool of the devil," she said.  
>"Now I see myself as having internalized their ordered world no matter how much I think otherwise. And when I have to face a world of magic, getting my head around it just isn't happening. It's like I can't quite reach the branch no matter how hard I reach for it. Can you understand that? I'm really trying but there's just this nagging itch that bothers me.<br>That's going to take a little more time."

Thomas came over and hugged Maddy. "Mom, I promise to be real good with all the magic stuff. I'll keep my temper and won't say a word to anyone."

She hugged him back hard, a tear in her eye as she said, "I know you will, my wonderful son. I know you will. You do understand I love you very much, just that this is something I never expected and it's a little difficult for me right now. But I will get over it because you're a very special boy, I've always known that and I'll know that forever."

Harry leaned close to Ginny and said, "Now I know why Thomas is such a good person." Ginny smiled and nodded.

It was Dudley that broke the silence. "Uh, we can either sail for a bit longer or we can head to the beach for a hike," he said. "The offshore wind should pick up in an hour or so, it usually does, and it'll take us right back to the harbor. Personally, I'd like to take the long way back and get in as much sailing as we can. What do you think?"

"I think I'd like to experience more of this magic you call sailing," Harry said.  
>"How about next weekend you all come over for a barbecue? Lily wants to meet Julia and the boys can teach Thomas about Quidditch. We can talk about Hogwarts some more if you like, Maddy, and you'll be able to see a bit of magic. I'm sure it'll be reassuring for you. Sound like a plan?"<p>

Thomas looked to his mom with a happy grin. "I want to fly on the brooms again,  
>mom. It's really great," he told her.<p>

Maddy looked to Ginny then Albus and Lily. "If you'll be patient with me I'd appreciate that. I'm sure it will enlightening and I think I could use some of that in my life right about now. After all, since I'm now a wizard's mother I want to know how to be the best at it I can be."

Dudley thought back to seeing his son riding a broom for the first time and smiled at the remembered feelings. It was going to be alright, everything was going to be alright now.

Ginny on helm with a huge grin on, Dudley and Maddy adjusting the sails then settle in.  
>"Maintain this course," he tells Ginny. "You do know how to use a compass?"<p>

Dudley brings up a thermos of coffee and pours, Maddy hands juices to the kids.

"So, now that Thomas is part of your lot," and he grinned at the joke, "I guess we need to learn how to handle it, you know, his magic."

"Not so much handle but teach him to control it. If he gets angry he could lash out and do real harm."

"Keep Julia in the dark until she can understand what she's seeing."

Keep on going to Muggle school but be prepared for Hogwarts in a few years. Until then it might be nice to give you a tour of Diagon Alley to see what my world is al about.

"Safe house, seeing magic everyday, watching Quidditch, it's not like I don't already know."

Maddy spoke up, "Quidditch? What's that?" and the two men chuckled. Ginny grinned.

"It's a game played on flying brooms but I'll explain later," Dudley said. "Thomas will need to control his magic? What happens if he can't?"

"Ministry involvement is best avoided."

"He might be running away from a bully and scared enough to find himself sitting on top of the school chimney,"Harry said. "The important part is to have an outlet for strong emotions. That's when kids lose it and you never know what's going to happen. Do you already have something in place for frustration?"

Flying lessons at my house once a month if he's able to control himself? Sound like a good plan?"

"And Julia?" Maddy asked. "She's going to see him flying on a broom. She thinks the world of her big brother and will want to brag to all her friends."

"They'll think she's making it up, then she'll defend herself and lose friends. Best if she can be coaxed to not talk about it at all, I'd think."

"Some things to say would be magic is only in books or I wish there was magic then I wouldn't have to eat broccoli or I'd wish for a million pounds if there were really magic.  
>You get the idea. Make it sound so outlandish your friends will laugh like it was all a joke."<p>

"If something happens that you made happen you can say you don't know but it was really scary.

Meeting up at the dock, Dudley passes out PFDs to the kids, asks Harry ginny is they swim.  
>Motor out of harbor area with ten knots of wind onshore. Maddy instructs the kids to haul up the jib, snapping in the wind, set sail and haul in, then helps haul up the main.<p>

Everyone in the cockpit, harry takes the wheel for a few minutes then Ginny.

"Everyone needs to be able to do every job on the boat. I don't have guest but I welcome crew." 


End file.
